Warren Lewis

Sara Anne Fox

Bill Marsilii

Paul Guay

What is Smashcut Film Lab?

Presenting an exciting opportunity for liberty-minded filmmakers and other creatives ready to take their craft to the next level — the SmashCut Film Lab.

The SmashCut Film Lab is an advanced program for those who have filmmaking, screenwriting, producing experience and want an opportunity to work alongside like-minded creatives with the guidance of seasoned professionals such as Daniel Knauf, (executive producer, NBC’s The Blacklist) screenwriters Bill Marsilii (Deja Vu, Cold), Paul Guay (Liar Liar), David H. Steinberg (American Pie 2) and Courtney Balaker (Little Pink House) in developing, writing, filming and editing your short film or web series idea.

What themes are you looking for in this season?

For the seventh season of Taliesin Nexus’ Smash Cut Film Lab we are looking to select ideas that are adapted from an original source. This source may be one of the following:

1. A published work of fiction or nonfiction, whole or part, such as a short story, novel, graphic novel, biography, video game, painting, another film
2. An event or events of a real person’s life, living or historical
3. An event (real or fictional) within a broader historical or modern context or subject area

As in past years, the project must present and explore a theme of liberty.

Below we offer a handful of suggestions of a variety of sources to help illustrate the type of projects we are interested in seeing. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Use this list as a jumping off point for you to come up with your own ideas for adaptations. As is the case in Hollywood, an adaptation does not need to be an exact recording of a past event or work. You have wide creative license to explore the work or event in your own voice. Ultimately, we are open to any adaptation provided it fulfills the qualities mentioned above.

1. A Published Work – Up from Slavery (Booker T. Washington), Anthem (Ayn Rand), The Law (Fredric Bastiat), The Gods of Mars (Edgard Rice Burroughs), The Curse of Capistrano (Johnston McCulley) (incidentally these are all works in the public domain)

2. Ludwig Von Mises’ escape from Nazi Germany, Davy Crockett’s decision to go to the Alamo, Zora Neal Hurston finding inspiration for a short story, an entrepreneur’s struggle to stay in business, a citizen fighting to change to an illiberal law or regulation

3. The Civil Rights Era, the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the Invention of the Automobile, Fast and Furious Scandal, Origin of Political Correctness

Rights
If using a published work, you must have the rights to make the film concept you submit. If the work is public domain, then you are fine to submit. If you are dealing with a work not in the public domain, you will need permission from the author or from the estate. Keep in mind that the product you will make in our program is a short film, which has little to no sale value. Consequently, you may consider pursuing a limited right to produce just the short film without wider rights guaranteeing the estate that you will make no profit from the sale or distribution of the film.

Original ConceptsWe are still open to accepting original concepts exploring a theme of liberty, but preference in our selection will be for adaptations this season. You may submit up to three concepts for consideration.

What happens if I am selected?

If you and your treatment are selected, you will receive a grant for $10,000 to make your short film or web-series and be paired with an established industry professional who will mentor you through a 100 day development process. You and your team will then head into production and through to post-production, where at the conclusion, we will host a gala showcase screening where your film will premiere along with your fellow SmashCut participants’ projects.

Along the way, you will also attend multiple mini-workshops that focus on screenwriting, producing, directing and post-production, all lead by veterans of the industry. You will hear from experts in the fields that your film’s theme touches upon. Taliesin Nexus is committed to furthering your development as a storyteller and filmmaker by connecting you with experienced professionals who want to see you succeed.

All participants who do not already own it, will receive a complimentary full copy of Final Draft (valued at $249.) Final Draft is the leading software when it comes to screenwriting and it will be yours to keep after completion of the program. This will no doubt ensure you are armed with the right tools to go along with that talent.

During this film lab, you will experience an intensive process that is not unlike what filmmakers in Hollywood must contend with: a rigorous development process, valuable collaboration, working within a budget, and notes & feedback from your mentor and Taliesin Nexus. This is not for the faint of heart. You and your partners will be responsible for producing a high quality film. At the end of the program your film will be featured in our private annual SmashCut film screening at a first run movie theater in Los Angeles and at private screening events in selected cities across the country.

What do I need to do to apply?

There are a few different ways to apply and be accepted into SmashCut, as we will select 12 applicants to create six two-person teams. (Each team will also have a third member who will be on our SmashCut Producer Track, but more on that below.)

1. Filmmakers can apply in groups of two of three with up to three one-page treatment or ideas.

2. Filmmakers can apply solo with up to three treatment ideas and, if selected, must agree to be paired up at Taliesin Nexus’ discretion, and work with another solo applicant on the treatment that TN has selected.

3. Filmmakers who do not have a treatment and are applying for the Producer Track who, if selected, must agree to be assigned to a maximum of two projects they will produce.

Because film is one of those rare art forms that require a collaborative process, we insist on having a team of filmmakers for each project. If you want to work alone, then you’ve picked the wrong career. All writers must deal with the studio, producers, and directors. All directors have to learn to work with their producers, the studio, the actors, and of course the writer. And the producer must work with everyone and do their best to ensure everyone else is working with each other! Working with a teammate will allow you more flexibility to maintain your other endeavours because producing a film will take up a lot of time. This program isn’t for hobbyists.

Screenwriting mentor Paul Guay shares his feedback in the writers room at the opening workshop.

Each team of filmmakers will also be assigned a mentor who they must also collaborate with. These are industry professionals who are currently working in film and television. Their experience and knowledge of storytelling and doing it in Hollywood will be at your fingertips. They are eager to mentor you and your film. You must take their notes. This is a crucial part of the process. Every successful creator in film or television, accepts notes and implements them to the best of their ability. This can be extremely challenging, but it also very rewarding. These mentors are on your side and will push you to answer the tough questions that will ultimately, and hopefully, hone your craft. Engaging in respectful dialogue should disagreements occur will also be crucial in staying on the right course. And believe us, disagreements will occur. Should there be instances of disagreement between you and your mentor or partners or both that can’t be resolved, Taliesin Nexus will be the final arbiter. To reiterate, if you want to work alone, if you think your ideas never need to be challenged, improved upon or even defended by others, then you have picked the wrong profession. The great part about all of this is, if all those involved are true to the art and only have the best interest of the film at hand, then you will have loads of pride for your project when it is finally finished.

What do I submit?

When applying, each writer and/or director applicant must submit, in addition to a resume and work sample, up to three one-page treatments for the story they’d like to tell on film. This story must have a theme related to some aspect of liberty. We are looking for narrative stories, not documentaries. Your stories must also be, first and foremost, entertaining. So please, no overly heavy-handed stories where you are trying to deliver a message. If you want to send a message, use Twitter.

Your treatment should be a one-page document that explains the plot or narrative of your proposed film, written in short story form, not in screenplay form. It should include some brief character descriptions, a few lines of dialogue when appropriate and a clear beginning, middle, and end. The liberty theme should be clear from the content of your story. Please only submit one-page. If it’s any longer, we won’t read those extra pages. Which means we won’t know how it ends.

Please include the following with all treatments (a separate page is fine if needed):

1. A working title.2. Your name (and your partner’s name if applicable).3. A one or two sentence logline.4. The theme of your story.5. Tell us the one person you know who would love this film after they watched.

(All documents should be submitted in PDF format. Please convert all word .doc, final draft .fdr, .txt, .rtf, and all other formats to PDF.)

This treatment will be the basis for the film you are going to make. So when you write your treatment please keep the following in mind: You have a $10,000 budget. This means that the big CGI sci-fi thriller you thought would be perfect, is actually not. Your film also must not exceed a running time of 20 minutes. So that epic 1600 mile journey of a woman finding herself along the Appalachian Trail is going to have to wait until the mini-series version.

Still from EMPTY SKIES from season 3.

What is the Smashcut Producer Track?

For those interested in gaining knowledge of the producing side of filmmaking, we offer the Producer Track. Three applicants will be selected and each will be assigned to a maximum of two of the projects being developed. Producers will work directly with the program producing coordinator who will guide you through producing the film. Those on the producer track will be producing both projects, including learning about distribution and marketing strategies in the film business. Producers will be contributing very early on in the front end, guiding development and keeping a distribution and marketing perspective in sight.

Your producer mentor will help guide you, challenge you, and keep your focus sharp as you scrutinize short term and long term decisions affecting your projects.

Applicants interested in the Producer Track must demonstrate an understanding of the creative aspect of filmmaking, but be willing to respect and support the vision of the writer/directors whom they are working with. You must also posses strong communication skills, be willing to make decisions, and manage multiple personalities with confidence and humility.

Finalists considered for the producer track will then have a formal interview.

1. A phone interview with the program director.
2. You may be asked to break down a sample short film screenplay and craft a $10,000 budget.

Please note, not all finalists will complete each of these steps. Once this interview process has been completed, notifications will be sent to those finalists who have been selected to participate in the program.

On location filming WE from season 2 of the film lab.

What happens once we start?

The development phase of the program (roughly 100 days) will be devoted to fleshing out your treatment into an outline and then into a screenplay. You will receive notes and feedback from your mentor along the way. Towards the end of this first phase, you will commence in pre-production since most of the major elements of your film have been determined. You will scout locations, interview and hire crew, reserve rental gear, etc. These tasks can happen simultaneously as you get closer to a final draft of your script.

The next phase of the program has you moving from pre-production and into actual production where you will most likely schedule three to four days of filming. This is why you want to keep your script to under 20 pages, as even at that length, a three or four day shooting schedule is aggressive. (But that is most likely all you will be able to afford.) After which you head into post-production where your film is edited and prepped for the premiere screening. You will receive notes and feedback from your mentor and Taliesin Nexus during post-production as well. Most teams average about three months in this phase.

A packed house for the Los Angeles premiere of SmashCut CineFest 2016

To start this program, you will attend the SmashCut Kickoff Weekend. An opening seminar in Los Angeles where you will be introduced to the program’s mentors and your fellow filmmakers. This weekend will consist of an intensive “writers room” where each treatment is discussed at length by all the mentors and filmmakers. This day has been called one of the most intensive yet exciting and fun parts of the entire program and will offer you not only a tremendous amount of creative value for your project, but a valuable experience in terms of your overall development as a filmmaker. The following day will consist of multiple breakout sessions where you will discuss world building, character design, themes and more. Lunch and dinner will be provided as well as nightly social receptions. For those traveling from outside the greater Los Angeles area, travel expenses (up to $300) and lodging will be covered by Taliesin Nexus.

Over the course of the film lab you will be in communication with your mentor either by phone, email, or even in person, as you refine your ideas on your way to a final shooting script. Mentors will weigh in on your rough cuts once you hit the editing room during the Rough Cut Workshop. This workshop will consist of all films, which should be at similar stages, being screened before your mentors and fellow participants. The feedback that you gain from this workshop should be used as you move toward picture lock.

SmashCut participants will also be invited to attend the all-expenses paid Apollo Workshop: Storytelling in Film and Television, if you have not already done so. Click here to learn more about this exciting weekend workshop filled with interactive sessions and panels full of Hollywood professionals from writers and directors, to producers, executives, and managers.

* NEW INFO* What does the Season 7 calendar look like?

Please look over this schedule to ensure you will be able to adhere to the season 7 deadlines.

these dates are subject to change due to specific needs of your project and the program

Though we anticipate that most of our successful applicants will reside in or near L.A., or be able to relocate here for the duration of the program, we are excited to also invite filmmakers outside of Los Angeles to apply. If you apply and plan on producing your project in your home city, we are more likely to accept you into the program if your city has ample resources and a history of film/television being produced there, e.g., New York City, Vancouver, Atlanta, New Orleans or even Austin, TX. This plan must be approved by TalNexus and agreed to by filmmakers before accepting the fellowship.

Regrettably you are not allowed to use any of the production budget for personal expenses, so you will need some other means of supporting yourself while you are in the program. L.A. is filled, however, with aspiring actors, screenwriters, directors and other Hollywood wannabes with “day jobs” to make the ends meet whilst they claw their way up that ladder of success, so you’ll be in ample company.

We can foresee, however, a circumstance whereby someone might be able to participate even if he or she could not spend the entire duration in L.A. For example, an out-of-state filmmaker could conceivably spend the summer in Southern California and then return to school at the end of August. At that point, shooting should be completed and the post-production phase will be well underway.

Mentor Bill Marsilii holds court during the season three kickoff writers room.